Author's Note: Enjoy reading!
Vin and the Shadow Dancer Chapter Five: Balister Blitz Part One
It is early morning, and the contestants are still sound asleep. Violette is inside her bedroom. She is wearing a sky-blue silk pajama with clouds on it. She stretches on her bed and gets out of it after yawning.
"What a beautiful day," Violette said happily to herself. She opens the door of her bedroom to exit. She happens to see Mitchell standing in the hallway and writing in his journal. "And what a beautiful boy I have witnessed."
Mitchell is in his pajamas as well. He is wearing a white tank top and black shorts. "Hmm, that sounds cliché."
Mitchell crosses out some words in his journal.
"Hey Mitch!" Violette greeted, suddenly being close to the horror writer.
"Gah!" Mitch screamed in shock and backed away a bit. "Never sneak on someone like that! Especially a horror author."
"My apologies Mitch," Violette said in a cute manner. "Anyway, what are you writing?" She tries to peak at Mitchell's journal.
"I… am… just trying to make a horror short story," Mitch answered nervously. "I heard bats last night and wanted to have those creatures the focus."
"You're cute when you are nervous and stuttering," Violette said as she gets in front of Mitchell. The sly girl gently puts her teammate's notebook down so both can make eye contact. "I got a horror story idea. Would you like to hear?"
"Will I get the rights to the idea?" Mitchell wondered.
"Sure."
"Then proceed."
"Good," Violette smirked.
Violette walks closer to Mitchell. To avoid being so close Mitchell puts his back against the wall. Violette puts her hands on the wall with a loud smack.
"Awe, you're blushing," Violette noticed her teammate's red face. "Now, the story. Is about the guy that gets the girl."
Mitchell looks perplexed and says, "How is that horrifying? Unless one of them is a stalker. That could…"
Violette interrupts Mitchell's thoughts by kissing him on his right cheek. "Let's get alone together after the challenge."
The sly sweetheart leaves Mitchell to his thoughts on the kiss as she walks away with a proud smirk. All according to her plan.
Inside her room, Yves wakes up from her bed. She gets out of it and proceeds to her private bathroom. Putting toothpaste on her toothbrush, she brushes her teeth while looking at the bathroom's mirror. Spitting the toothpaste into the sink, the dancer notices a note nearby. After wiping her mouth with a small towel, she grabs the note and reads it.
"Yves don't forget to bring me red food. I can only hold out until tonight," Yves read the note. "From the Vampire King, Vinoripmav."
Yves hears a knock at her door. She has not put on her normal clothes and already someone wants to chat with her. Nevertheless, the dancer heads to the door and opens it. Buck and Sami smile. Both teammates are wearing their everyday clothing.
"Hey partner," Buck greeted.
"Feeling better from last night?" Sami asked her teammate.
"Uh, yeah. I was just being… homesick," Yves answered. Technically, she was not lying. She is not at her home, rather in another dimension. Plus, she misses her world. So, it works out. At least that is what the dancer tells herself.
"Oh, I get that. It was hard to say goodbye to my parents before getting on the show," Sami said.
Yves winces at the mention of parents.
"But don't worry; we'll make sure this place feels like home. Us teammates should treat each other as a family since we are staying for so long," Sami added, smiling. "It will be difficult, but we'll get through this together."
Yves feels like her heart is sinking like a boat into the ocean. Sami is so nice, so innocent, and so helpful, and so careful. Buck notices the bandages on his teammate's forearms and gets worried.
"Hey there, don't tell me you strained rope like it was a campfire preparation," Buck told Yves, pointing at the bandages.
Sami gasps in concern. "Yves, you weren't…"
"This happened weeks ago before arriving here," Yves rapidly said. "I… have issues. Lots of issues. But I don't want that to distract us from winning the challenges."
Sami gives Yves a hug. "If you ever need to talk about your issues, we're here for you," the theater girl said. She then leaves.
Buck looks at the note in his teammate's left hand. "Is that a note? Woo doggy! Someone must have eyes on you already. Who's the lucky guy?"
There is no way Yves is going to tell Buck about Vinoripmav. At least, not yet. The MacGyver has the potential to assist in case of problems popping up. What kind? Yves does not know.
"I don't want to talk about it," Yves spoke the truth.
"Oh," Buck said as his eyes widen. He rubs the back of his head with his right hand. "You like to keep to yourself a lot of secrets."
"You have no idea how many secrets I have," Yves said smiling.
The two teammates let out a chuckle then sigh.
"Well, I got to get dressed and grab some breakfast," Yves told. "See you later Buck."
Buck gives a thumbs up and a goofy smile before Yves shuts the door.
Niu opens the door to the cafeteria area inside the dome and sits at a table where her teammates Margaret and Brittany are chatting. Well, more of Brittany talking and Margaret being annoyed.
"I'm telling you two, something is going on here," Calvin told Garret and Daniel. All Delta Droid guys are at a different table. Not too far from the Delta Droid girls.
Garret is shown tuning his acoustic guitar. "Come on Calvin don't get your couple of strings short of a set. So what you saw a swarm of bats around the hallways last night. They're just a bunch of animals."
"I know Garett, but something felt off," Calvin told his teammate. "Like the bats were looking for something or someone."
"We didn't have a party last night so you couldn't have been drunk," Daniel said. "But I still find it hard to believe a swarm of bats was looking for someone."
"Aren't we sixteen? Why are you sipping alcohol like pasta at an Italian's place?" Garett asked Daniel wondering.
Confessional – Calvin – Delta Droids
"Looks like I have an investigation to solve. Though, I must be careful. Bats mostly appear at night. I don't want to get myself tired before a challenge. That can cost me the money and the mission."
End Confessional
All thirteen remaining contestants are eating at the cafeteria except for Yves. The dancer is currently grabbing anything red she can find in the refrigerator and putting them into a duffle bag. Apples, strawberries, tomatoes, ketchup, and gelatin. Then she takes a whole frozen turkey and puts it into the duffle bag.
"What are you doing?" Valerie asked, standing behind her teammate.
Yves stops taking food and closes the fridge. Next, she turns around to look at the chubby girl.
"I was stealing food for later," Yves told bluntly.
"But we get breakfast, lunch, and dinner," Valerie countered. "Do you get the munchies at night?"
"Valerie, Val. Can I call you Val?" Yves asked nicely.
"We barely talk to each other but sure go ahead," Valerie answered.
"If I explain to you the real reason I'm taking all of this you wouldn't understand," Yves stated.
Valerie narrows her eyes at Yves. "Oh, I won't understand because I'm not smart. You think I'm some kind of idiot."
Yves is taken aback by the sudden accusation. "What? No, I'm not calling you dumb. I hardly even know you at all."
"And if you do know me, you'll call me stupid, ugly, a failure," Valerie said, raising her voice. This drags the attention of the other contestants in the cafeteria. "You think you're better than anyone here are you?"
"Val where is this coming from?" Yves wondered sincerely. "I have done nothing to hurt you. Name one time I insulted you since we got on this show."
Valerie tries to think of something. She then frowns. "I guess you haven't done anything to me. Sorry."
"Attention!" came Chris's voice from some speakers scattered throughout the cafeteria. "Report to the field for a debrief on your next challenge in exactly eight minutes!"
The thirteen remaining competitors meet up in the field with Chris and Dana waiting to greet them.
"Good morning, pilots!" Chris said with his dashing charming grin. "Hope you slept well because it's time for a challenge!"
"Hurray," Caleb lamely said as he rolled her eyes.
"The challenge for today is," Dana started as she adjusted her immense glasses, "Going to be quite the intense one. One team will act as a team of bad guys while the other team will play the good guys. The job of the bad guys is to rampage through a sectioned-off portion of the city and destroy it completely, leaving no building or car intact."
Yves's eyes widen in fear. She is hoping Dana is not mentioning the place Vinoripmav is staying at. Though, considering the description the child host stated is possible this section is meant for destroying, not already demolished.
"The good guys," Dana continued. "Must catch the crooks before they can destroy the whole area. Which is by working together to trap them in giant cages that were built in front of the dome."
The thirteen contestants notice the giant cages.
"That wasn't there before," Yves mentioned.
"Don't question it," Chris told the dancer.
"The challenge ends when either team finishes their mission. The bad guys shall be the Delta Droids and the Beta Bots are dubbed good guys. Everybody, get into your mechs."
The hatches in the field open. Each of the mechs rises from underneath the place. Nolan's is no longer there. It has been replaced by a large metal statue of him in its place.
"What's with that?" asked Sami confused.
"That?" Chris pointed at the statue. "That is what we've repurposed Nolan's mech into. When somebody is eliminated from the show, their mech will be converted into one of those. This was Dana's idea. I don't know why though." Chris eyes his co-host.
"I have my reasons," Dana stated contently.
"How...unusual," Mitchell said then wrote something down in his journal. He and the others all head to their respective mechs.
Once every single contestant is in the control room of their mech, Dana and Chris get to their positions by staying behind a glass wall. Hitting the button on the remote, Chris sends each camper inside their mech into the sky and out into the city.
Either by luck or by the host's intention, all the Delta Droids land on the same spot which is the center of the sectioned-off zone. The zone looks like your regular city with tall buildings, cars, lampposts, and pigeons.
Margaret's penetrating looking mech rises up, cracking its knuckles before gripping the two large knives on its back.
"Okay team, listen up because I'm only going to say this once," Margaret commenced with a powerful tone. "We split up in different directions to cover the area. That way it will be easier to destroy this place. I better not catch any of you lackeys in someone else's zone. Because if I do, we will be having a not-so-wonderful chat about your free trial of living. Got it?
"Uh, no!" Brittany returned uncaringly. "As if I'll take orders from you, so like, let me do whatever I feel like for this challenge? Kay, bye-bye."
Brittany's mech dashes off into the distance. She commands the mech to shoot buildings with large amounts of sparks and destroys them in the process.
Confessional – Margaret – Delta Droids
"I know who to exactly vote for if we lose," Margaret grumbled.
End Confessional
Calvin's mech dubbed Triceratopper was romping around alone. It blasts buildings and cars with a machine gun-like volley from its two horns.
"Normally I would not like being the bad guy but in this case, it is my mission," Calvin admitted as his mech continues to destroy stuff. "Guess I should work on an evil laugh."
Before he can practice his laughter, a chain shoots out at his mech, wrapping around its ankles and causing it to topple onto the ground.
"Agent down!" Calvin shouted. He notices the chain came from Buck's jaguar like mech dubbed JagWire, coming out of the back of it.
"Normally I'll get a cow but this one is a real bull," Buck said, pulling Calvin with him as he walked back towards the dome. "I got all tools of sorts in this here thang, but when ya need a tow, this fella is right for the road."
"Watch this Agent Bailey," Calvin told the MacGyver.
Before the agent can press a button in his control room, a laser is shown directly hitting the back of the JagWire's head. This causes the two boys to have their eyes go wide.
"What in tarnation?" Buck wondered as he checks a TV screen in his control room.
A figure in a robot suit is shown.
The guy has medium-length, down-to-neck straight black hair. He has blue eyes and has a thin face, with some scratches around his cheeks. He has a nose with a small mouth and a few hairs growing from his chin. He is skinny and wearing a white t-shirt with blue stripes, and some torn-up jeans. Lastly, he is wearing a red bandana on the top of his head.
The robot suit is thirty feet and has giant red mechanical hands. The arms and legs are dark green with a bleeding-heart symbol on the right arm. The wires are connected to a backpack, legs, and the deltoid part of the arms. The two joysticks that connect to each bicep of the arm are small. Red armor plate is shown to protect the guy's body from getting hurt, and a helmet to take hits.
The left-arm has a laser cannon attached to it. This means that was the person who fired a laser at Buck's mech.
"Ah Buck, so nice to meet your acquaintance again," The guy in the robot suit said. "Thought you would escape me in a new mech of yours, didn't you?"
"Who are you?" Buck wondered in fear. Who is this person and how does he know the Southern's name?
The guy chuckles darkly. "Call me the grim reaper, because I'm about to collect your soul." The unidentified person activates a laser cannon in the robotic suit's right arm.
He takes aim at the Jagwire.
"Welp, I'm running faster than a turkey flying away from Thanksgiving dinner," Buck said and exits out of the control room.
The person fires its cannons and destroys the Jagwire's head completely. Buck decides to hide in an alleyway to not be seen.
"Ha, finally!" The mysterious person chuckled. "One less pest to take care of. Though, I will admit this fight was too easy. Hardly a fight at all."
The person releases the chains off of Calvin's mech.
"Oh wow, you saved me!" Calvin exclaimed happily.
"Saved?" The blue eyes person said then chuckles. "More like, under new management."
The nameless person uses its robot suit's right foot to kick Calvin in his mech into a building. The building falls down, collapsing on the Delta Droid member.
Chris and Dana watch the event unfold from a monitor near them.
"Dana, is that an intern you hired?" Chris asked, sensing something not right with this newcomer causing destruction.
"No, is that an intern you hired?" Dana asked her co-host, feeling the same terror.
"No," Chris stated.
The two hosts look at each other with fear and concern. They have to warn the contestants.
"Attention everyone!" Dana exclaimed nervously. The remaining eleven contestants still having functional mechs hear her voice from a radio installed in each control room. "Change of plans for today's challenge. Whoever defeats a skinny dude wearing a white t-shirt with blue stripes, torn-up jeans, and a red bandana automatically makes their team the winner. The person is controlling a robotic suit so be extremely careful."
With the message done, Yves ponders for a moment.
"Robotic suit? Red bandana? That's impossible. He shouldn't be here. At least not wearing that," Yves said, getting more worried for everyone's safety by the second.
"Who shouldn't be here?" Sami wondered, her mech being close to her teammate's one.
"There's only one person that I know who drove a robotic suit wearing a red bandana," Yves told the theater girl.
An explosion is heard and shown in the background. Yves and Sami look at where the explosion came from.
"Henry."
